CETACEA. 



Harpooning the V.'Iiale in Hie Arctic Sens. 



The Cetacea, or Whale tribe, in many respects resemble fishes, and have often been classed with theu. 

 oy naturalists. They are, however, distinguished from fishes by possessing warm blood, and by being 

 obliged to rise to the surface for air, instead of extracting sufficient from the water by their gills. 



The Greenland Whale, or Balena, is found in the arctic seas, a dweller amid eternal cold and ice 

 Numerous vessels are dispatched yearly for its capture, on account of the oil and whalebone furnished bj 

 it, The oil is extracted from a thick, fatty layer, immediately beneath the skin, called blubber; the 

 so-named whalebone is obtained from the inside of the mouth, where it fringes the jaws, and serves as a 

 sieve for the animal to strain his food through. The throat of this Whale is small, and its food is a little 



creature, about one inch and a half long, called clio borealis. 

 When wishing to feed, he rushes through the water, with 

 his vast jaws fully expanded, inclosing a multitude of little 

 sea-animals, together with large quantities of water. When, 

 having shut his mouth, he expels the water through the 

 bony fringes, leaving the animals within. Like other cetacea, 

 this animal produces its young alive, ami suckles them. 



The Cachalot, or Spermaceti Whale, differs in several 

 points from the Greenland Whale. His under jaw is armed 

 with a terrific row of teeth, with which he often bites the 

 boats of the whaler. In a museum, at Oxford, is one of 

 these jaws, sixteen feet and a half long, and containing 

 forty-eight enormous teeth. His head is of immense size, 

 and from this spermaceti is obtained After his capture, a 



(190) 



Great Greenland Whale. 



